1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quality assured network service provision system, a service provision method, and a service broker device for providing a quality assured network service across a plurality of domains managed by different providers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the Internet has developed, an increasing number of network service providers are providing network services. Against this background, a network service capable of ensuring the end to end quality demanded by customers across a plurality of networks interconnected between different providers has been keenly sought.
Examples of systems for interconnecting a plurality of this type of communication network are disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei-08-274874 entitled “Network Interconnection Device and Method”, and the Published Japanese translation No. 11-501495 of PCT International Publication entitled “Network Link for Interconnecting Service Control Points of Traffic Management Control Load Distribution Groups”.
In a network connection method disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei-08-274874, elements within different electrical communication networks are interconnected, and a mediated access processor (MAP) is provided for connecting an intelligent network for providing service across network boundaries. This MAP enables the conversion, inspection and emulation of messages exchanged between networks, and provides a transparent electrical communication network in which users need not change existing interfaces and protocols.
Furthermore, in the Published Japanese translation No. 11-501495 of PCT International Publication, in order to overcome problems associated with elements of a network becoming overloaded in network environments incorporating a plurality of service providers and multi-vendor devices, an interconnection function is provided by a direct network link between two service control points (SCP) which are used in a load distribution mode.
This network link involves interconnecting two SCPs within a load distribution group, and as a result offers a method for controlling the SCPs to not only exchange information relating to congestion levels and control functions, but also send queries to an SCP which is not overloaded.
However, the following problems arise with the conventional technology described above. Namely, in the technique disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei-08-274874, absolutely no consideration is given to operations for provisioning the two interconnected electrical communication networks and providing network services, and so a network service of guaranteed quality cannot be provided via this type of interconnected network.
Furthermore, the invention disclosed in the Published Japanese translation No. 11-501495 of PCT International Publication simply provides a method for dealing with a network overload, and even in such cases is unable to provide a network service in which the customer is guaranteed sufficient quality.
In addition, operation information for provisioning the interconnected communication networks and providing network services is not exchanged, and no mechanism is provided for the consistent provision of service form the interconnected network. Moreover, a SCP within a communication device uses a great deal of resources including the CPU, and because a shift to high performance is needed in order to manage the plurality of control function lists, the cost of communication devices deployed within the network increases, and increases in processing loading also become problematic.
In this manner, conventional networks comprise a plurality of network service providers, and because sufficient consideration has not been given to the provision of uniform quality across the network, there is no option but to provide high performance devices for exchanging information individually within each communication network, and consequently conventional networks have been plagued by problems such as a lack of network expandability and a lack of connection flexibility.